Houses, are but badly built boats so firmly aground that you cannot think of moving them. They are definitely inferior things, belonging to the vegetable not the animal world, rooted and stationary, incapable of gay transition. I admit, doubtfully, as exceptions, snail-shells and caravans. The desire to build a house is the tired wish of a man content thenceforward with a single anchorage. The desire to build a boat is the desire of youth, unwilling yet to accept the idea of a final resting-place. It is for that reason, perhaps, that, when it comes, the desire to build a boat is one of those that cannot be resisted. It begins as a little cloud on a serene horizon. It ends by covering the whole sky, so that you can think of nothing else. You must build to regain your freedom.

Arthur Ransome - Racundra's First Cruise (Chapter 1), 1923

GLEDA (Pronounced GLEE DA) - Old English Female Name meaning 'To Make Happy'

Well it’s been a long long time folks but this time I’m back for good!

I hope you all like the new site, please let me have your comments good or bad I’d really like to hear what you think. I had a tough task extracting all the journal entries from my old site as they were locked into a subscription server with no easy way of removing them. Luckily I was able to employ a programming wizard from Vietnam who did a fine job of getting them out and onto this new site. I was desperate to save all those precious journal entries and happy to pay the $200 it cost me. I get great satisfaction from posting all this information and hopefully helping others planning or building their own boats. Now I have full control over this site I want to build it into something of value to others so again, please let me have any thoughts or ideas.

Today I’ve spent a large chunk of the day clearing and cleaning the barn from one end to the other in readiness to re-start the build, it was hard graft but it felt immensely satisfying to finally get back in there and I’m super excited about the progress I’m going to make this year. Did you notice the countdown to launch over on the left hand side of this page? I decided that I wasn’t prepared to leave this project open ended and I needed a real target to aim for, so there it is ….. no excuses!

I put together a little video today after I’d finished just to refresh everyone’s memory (including my own!) of where I am in the build. I plan to include far more video updates so if there is anything in particular you’d like a closer look at just ask.

To watch the video on You Tube  CLICK HERE